Now, you mentioned that it, um, um, well-respected, NAA leader, whom you really respected, said you shouldn't go. Why was that, and what, did you agree or disagree with him?

MARY HIGHTOWER:

Well, um, I disagreed because--

JACKIE SHEARER:

If you could just start that, you know, "Somebody in the NAACP--"

MARY HIGHTOWER:

Well, after we had left and went to the convention, and, ah, once we were seated we had a representative from Mississippi, one of our well-respected leaders, to come in, and he, he opposed to our being there.

JACKIE SHEARER:

I'm sorry, if you could start again but just say, that someone from the NAACP leader from Mississippi.

MARY HIGHTOWER:

OK, um, after gel- going through the convention and getting there, One of our N dou- NAACP con- ah, leaders came to the convention and he opposed to our being there, and, ah, he was saying that we were separating ourselves, but, ah, we didn't see it that way**. Ah, going to the convention we felt like this was, ah, really enhancing our chance of being, ah, brou- of, of aiding and assisting the existing party because, ah, you kn- to me, yo- it was just like isn- if you have, ah, if you have, ah, you may have a home, hah, and you, you make that house open, you know, you, I'm, I'm, I, I would say that, you'd say you were welcome to the use of my home, you know, I can just use anything in it, but to me, it's a difference in having my own, because once I have my own, home, then you respect me and we can interchange and exchange and, ah, this is the way we felt about the, ah, the national party. Once we organize our national Black party, we could interchange and exchange resources. So we didn't feel like we were being separate, but, ah, we were being able to add to the leadership.